


Pokemon: The InnerCircle

by LannyVA



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Gen, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27117941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LannyVA/pseuds/LannyVA
Summary: The InnerCircle is an underground group of only the most elite Pokémon trainers, which is meant to respond to top level threats and catastrophes around the world. However, the story of how such a powerful group was formed isn't a short, or peaceful one...
Kudos: 3





	1. City Boy VS Bumpkin

_In a new age of the Pokemon world, a decade after legendary trainers of old had come and gone, there exists an underground organization consisting of a select few elite trainers. Spread across multiple regions, they are dedicated to responding to only the highest level of threats against the Pokemon world. They are known as The Inner Circle, and this is the story of how they came to be…_

A young boy is awoken by an alarm, and the sound of his mother's voice.

"Cody sweetie, if you don't hurry up and make your way down Route 45 you'll be late to Professor Elm's!". Hearing this reminds him of what he embarks upon today. It is time for him to start his journey as a Pokemon trainer.

"Mom, how many times do I have to tell you, I don't even want to do this. I don't even care about the league challenge, I'm only going because Master Claire nagged me until I said yes," he says while making his way downstairs. He openly expresses his discontent with becoming a "professional trainer".

His father's face flares up with frustration after hearing his son, shouting "Boy you **BETTER** get runnin' down to that office, else bein trained by the strongest Gym Leader in our region will have been for nothin!"

"Ugh, like I haven't heard it enough from Master already. C'mon Eevee, let's go." The boy's Eevee jumps out of it's small bed in the corner of the living room and onto his shoulder. His Eevee, shining with its beautiful silver fur, nuzzles against his cheek and purrs lightly before hopping into the collar of his jacket. As he makes his way out the door to begin his brand new adventure, he looks back once more at his parents before partaking on the journey ahead. The boy makes his way through Routes 45 and 29, gaining some experience for his Eevee along the way, he then finally reaches New Bark town. Upon reaching the lab, he notices that the other boy who was said to be the second of this year's two new Pokedex Holders, is nowhere to be seen. He gazes into the window of Elm's Laboratory and sees a tan boy with a Pink, curly, bob style haircut impatiently sitting in Elm's office.

"Geez, maybe mom was right, I am pretty late," he thinks to himself. While casually entering Professor Elm's Laboratory, he sizes up the boy inside once more. Before he can even let out a simple apology for being late, he feels the cold glare of the blood red eyes of the boy, who seems less than pleased at his tardiness.

"FINALLY!" the pink haired boy explodes, with an almost literal fire burning in the red of his eyes. "I traveled half the region over multiple days just to make it here early, and you have the nerve to show up late! All you had to do was go through two routes!".

The whole room is taken aback at this boy's explosion of frustration. The Professor takes a nervous step forward, and says, "I-it's nice to finally see you Cody. This is Lanny from Olivine City. His father, Atlantis, was the most famous fisherman in all of Johto!"

Cody looks the pink haired boy up and down once more, taking note of his jet black rain boots and jacket, which seemed much too big for him. He also takes note of the fishing rod strapped firmly to his side. "It's summer ya know..." Cody says, taking a light hearted jab at the boy's outfit. Lanny grits his teeth, and let's out an audible growl, as Cody's comment only fuels his burning frustration. Lanny prepares to start another rant before a small noise catches his attention, and he rushes over to the corner of the lab to calm his Chinchou. Cody, who had not noticed the small angler pokemon, takes notice that it, like his Eevee, is a shiny pokemon. Lanny's Chinchou, who appears to be nicknamed "Sunny" based on their current discussion, seems almost upset with his outburst, shaking it's lime green anglers in disappointment. The pokemon and it's trainer have a back and forth for a while before Lanny stands up seeming much more calm, but still not offering any sort of apology to the blonde boy. Professor Elm sees this as an opportunity to try and make some peace, letting out a cough to break the silence.

He continues, "S-Sooooo, I believe you both know why I've called you here today. You've both been chosen as this year's candidates for the annual Pokedex Holders." Cody throws another glare at Lanny, wondering how this kid could have possibly been recommended as a Dex Holder given his current behavior. "Cody, your n-natural skill with pokemon is unmatched among this year's beginners, and Lanny is undoubtedly destined for g-great things given his heritage!" Elm says. "You've both been given recommendations to me for your spots by your hometowns Gym Leaders, and both seem to have attracted shiny pokemon at very young ages, so it only seems natural for you two to work together as this year's Dex Holders!" He states.

"TOGETHER!?" explode both of the boys simultaneously. Obviously furious at this suggestion, Lanny exclaims, "If you think I'm gonna be stuck palling around with some Blackthorn country bumpkin you're out of your mind!" Cody quickly retorts "Oh please, like I'd **ever** want the help of some arrogant, loudmouth city boy!" Sparks fly between the deadlock gaze they have upon each other. Both of the trainers start hurling insults at one another while their partner pokemon look at each other with a shared look of disappointment.

Professor Elm, expecting this type of reaction, is quick to butt in. "W-well, I coooould just revoke your trainer's licenses if that's the case." Both of the boys immediately turn to Elm in confusion. He continues to explain to them that Johto is experimenting with a new cooperative Dex regiment, and that if they deny to take part, or do not meet Elm's expectations, he has the legal right to suspend or remove their licenses indefinitely. The two begrudgingly agree (after mentally complaining to themselves a bit more if they really want to deal with the other), and are then presented with the Johto region's traditional trio of starter Pokemon, Chikorita, Totodile, and Cyndaquil.

"Each of you will take one of these three pokemon with you on your journey together, and the last of them will be left here at the lab to be isolated for behavioural... research..." Cody looks down at the three before asking "Uhh isn't that a little… dark?" Elm simply replies "P-perhaps, but such is the world of science! So boys, which pokemon will you two choose?" He asks, with a little bit _too_ large of a smile on his face.

Cody, having already thought about his choice beforehand, simply answers, "Cyndaquil please." The fire mouse pokemon readily leaps into his arms, giving him a look of quiet respect. Elm, Cody, and his new Cyndaquil, then turn to Lanny.

Awaiting his choice, they see the small timid Chikorita on the table looking directly at Lanny with a hopeful expression. Lanny looks directly into the Chikorita's eyes and says, "Keep them, they won't be useful to me." Elm and Cody both look at him in shock. "Are you kidding? Do you know how rare these pokemon are?" Cody asks, slightly offended by the pink haired boy's lack of care for the creatures sitting in front of him. "I don't take handouts." Lanny says, staring Cody down with what almost feels like killer intent. Cody simply can't take watching that little Chikorita on the verge of tears any longer. "Professor let me take Chikorita too! She needs someone to look out for her," The blonde boy exclaims.

Elm pauses for a moment, pondering what to do about the unnatural situation he's found himself in before reaching a conclusion. "W-well, I do need to send two of these pokemon off to conduct my isolated research, so I suppose I can make an exception," he answers, still a little surprised that a new trainer would deny such a chance at a starter pokemon. Chikorita shakes off her tears and joins Cyndaquil in Cody's arms, sticking her tongue out in frustration at the still unimpressed young boy who she originally wanted as her trainer.

_The Professor then briefs them on their mission to complete the pokedex, hands them some starting gear, and sends them on their way. The two unlikely travelling partners embark from the lab, officially starting their life changing journey..._


	2. A Joyous First Day

_Last time on our adventure our two unlikely heroes met and set out on their journey together. And now, we return to their escapades..._

While traveling through Route 29, both boys become locked in separate encounters with wild Pokemon, each attempting to make their first catch on their new journey. Cody pulls out a Pokeball from his bag and gives it an effortless underhanded toss at a Hoothoot he had just knocked down. The Pokeball gives a quick three shakes, capturing the Owl pokemon, and already bringing him up to a party of four. He then turns over to his traveling companion and watches as he attempts to capture his second team member.

"Pokeball, GO!" Lanny shouts whilst enthusiastically slinging his Pokeball from the end of his fishing line. Cody silently judges his overly excessive way of performing this simple task. The ball makes contact with the creature in question, a Sentret, which had been showcasing rather impressive speed for a common low-level Pokemon. The Pokeball pops open upon colliding with Sentret, enveloping the creature in its mystical red glow, then pulling the pokemon inside. The ball quickly shakes three times, which felt like an eternity to Lanny, while he waits anxiously to see if he had succeeded in this capture. His anxieties quickly faded as he saw those three little stars come from the top of the ball.

"Alright! Good job Sunny, we'll be strong enough in no time!" he says as his pumped-up Chinchou excitedly parks itself back onto his shoulder. Lanny turns around to see Cody looking at him, that same relatively blank expression on his face. The blonde kid is always hard to read, but Lanny assumes it's always judging him, as that is all he receives from Cody verbally.

"What are you staring at Lee? You got another smart-aleck remark for me?" he asks, taking on a rather aggressive tone. Cody cracks the slightest smile while cooking up his response.

"Not this time, but give it a bit and I'll have something for you. I do have a couple of questions though..." he continues, "Are you telling me that one of the Johto Region's starter Pokemon will be less useful to you than a Sentret?" he inquires with a small chuckle, seemingly making a joke out of the Pokemon Lanny had just caught. "And are you so insecure that you have to call me by my last name just to feel like you're better than me?" Cody can see the pink-haired boy gritting his teeth while he tries to hold in his anger, taking some sort of childish pleasure in frustrating his traveling partner, but never showing it of course.

"None of that is your business..." Lanny growls back before continuing, "Can we just get a move on already? Cherrygrove is up ahead and I'm tired of wasting time." This is met with nothing more than a half-hearted shrug from Cody before the boys head on their way.

Eventually, the pair make their way into Cherrygrove City and enter its Pokemon Center, hoping to rest up and heal their tired party members. As they walk through the automatic doors, the eyes of the nurse sitting behind the counter seem to light up at the sight of Lanny. She lets out an audible gasp before calling to the pink-haired boy.

"Is that you Lanny? Oh my goodness! It's so good to see you! You remember your favorite Auntie, don't you hun?" Cody turns as fast as a Rapidash to the boy next to him to find him looking straight down, with his face flushing a crimson almost as strong as his eyes. Cody's eyes dart back and forth between the two before Lanny opens his mouth to confirm Cody's suspicion, replying with a barely audible: "Y-yes, Aunt Joy..." while keeping his gaze planted firmly to the floor beneath his feet. Cody is on the verge of a laughing fit, as Lanny is now a far cry from the loudmouth trainer he had been getting to know all day.

"So, uhhhh, do we get a free room or what Mr. Joy?" Cody asks Lanny with a smirk. Lanny shakes the red off his face in a fit of frustration,

"SHUT UP! Is my family name really that funny to you!?" he shouts, earning him a fierce death glare from his aunt at the counter.

"Lanny, that is no way to talk to your friend!" she exclaims with discontent, causing her nephew to return to his previous meek posture and give a timid apology.

"Yes Aunt Joy, sorry Aunt Joy." He quickly responds.

Cody's giggling almost becomes audible now, still baffled by the sight of Lanny like this. Not only does being around family cause the pink menace to settle down a bit, he actually becomes capable of apologizing as well, which was something Cody hadn't seen from him up to this point. The blonde is almost unable to contain his amusement at the sight before him, trying his best not to burst into laughter despite his face still hosting its usual blank expression. He begins to prepare for one last quip before he's promptly cut off by his target.

"Can it Lee! Aunt Joy, can you please heal our Pokemon now? We're in kind of a hurry here." Lanny blurts out, which is met with an understanding nod from Nurse Joy as she takes the duo's Pokeballs and places them on the healing table. She begins to go on about how wonderful she thinks it would be for Lanny to be the first male to take on the family profession and become a nurse just like his numerous aunts. This is nothing the boy hasn't heard before however, so he pays it next to no attention as she hands the balls back to him and Cody, telling them to take note of the setting sun outside the Pokemon Center.

"Oh great, because of **you** being so late we couldn't even make it to Violet City in a single day! We should be at the gym by now!" Lanny spouts while pointing an accusatory finger at the blonde boy beside him.

"Dude, could you just relax for like… **two seconds**?" Cody asks, not even startled by Lanny's outbursts at this point. The two eventually break out into an argument, which has to be broken up by Nurse Joy before things get out of hand. The boys turn their heads away from each other to see an obvious look of disappointment on the woman's face.

"You two are lucky the Center was empty this late at night, just imagine what would happen if you made a scene like that in public!" she tells the boys as they hang their heads in shame, apologizing to the stern lady.

"Look, if you boys promise to behave for just one night, then you can use one of the guest rooms we have for travelers here in the Center. I'm going to be leaving soon, so you'll wanna hurry up and get settled before my cousin comes in to work the night shift."

The pair get comfy in their new resting place for the night by getting their beds set up, as well as small places to rest for their partner Pokemon. The Center's guest room wasn't anything too remarkable, being about the same size and cleanliness as a cheap hotel room. It was more than good enough for the boys however considering that it was free, and they only had so many camping supplies on hand that they didn't want to waste. Tick, tick, tick goes the clock as the two lay in their beds, unable to sleep after their first day out on their journey. There's an awkward silence in the air and neither of them seems to want to break it. To Cody's surprise, however, he hears the shuffle of Lanny's covers as the boy sits up, his bright hair still barely able to be seen in the darkness.

"So, you uh… got any family? You got to find out about mine, so I guess I was just curious or whatever," he states. Lanny's calm tone takes Cody by surprise as he didn't take the boy sitting across from him as someone who would take a serious interest in others.

"Yeah, mom and dad back in Blackthorn. They always had me studying or training with Master Claire, so I've never really stepped outside town before..." Cody says while turning on the lamp on his nightstand before continuing, "the only time I did was when I found Eevee in the Ice Path, damaged from a battle and looking for help. My family took him in, and before we knew it the little guy wanted to stay with us." The blonde looks over to his partner and smiles, glad that the Pokemon is with him now on his travels. He then turns over to the shiny Chinchou using Lanny's rain jacket as a bed. "Sunny right? You fish it up yourself?"

"No, my dad did. He gave me Sunny, and the rod that hooked him as birthday presents when I turned eight..." the young Joy states with fervor before looking up from his lap and into Cody's eyes to continue, "and if you're gonna make some joke about Sunny being a handout, **don't**. He's… different."

Cody is taken aback by Lanny's sudden defensive statement, especially since the pink-haired trainer knew that was **exactly** what he was thinking of saying. He wonders if the boy might be embarrassed about his partner Pokemon being such an obvious contradiction of his statement back at the lab. Either way, Cody couldn't be bothered to think about it too hard, as it frankly wasn't his problem to help the little pink menace with his insecurities. Famous parents or not, he wasn't gonna let some loudmouth kid from Olivine walk all over him and ruin his journey. After Lanny brought back some discomfort to what seemed like their first respectful conversation, the two boys collectively agreed that sleeping off this awkward little moment was the best thing for both of them.

_Thus, our two young heroes' first official day on their journey comes to a close..._


End file.
